TThe process of gathering knowledge about the natural world. OOften begins with a question

 Research  Observation  Experimentation

SSave Lives SSave Resources SSave the Environment

MMeteorologist GGeochemist EEcologist VVolcanologist SScience Illustrator

 A series of steps that may be re- ordered or repeated in order to systematically find the answer to a question

FFocuses the purpose of the investigation OOften comes after making observations (using the senses to gather information) AAccurate records of observations should be kept

 An explanation based on prior scientific research or observations that can be tested  Often referred to as an educated guess  Scientists often make predictions using if-then statements about what they think will happen in the experiment

 A controlled experiment is a way to test the hypothesis  Experiments should test one variable at a time  Data – pieces of information – are gathered through observation or experimentation

 Has 2 parts:  Control Setup: Treated normally; variable is not included with this group  Experimental Setup: Has one thing (variable) that is done differently than the control group.

 The variable that the tester is in control of is known as the independent variable. This is the CAUSE.  The variable that changes as a result of the experiment is known as the dependent variable. This is the EFFECT.

 Organizing information into charts and graphs is important in analysis

 Are effective to show how parts relate to the total.  The data must be converted from numbers to percent and then to degrees

Soft DrinkNumber of People who ranked #1 Pepsi10 Coke12 7-Up4 Dr. Pepper2

Soft DrinkPercent of People who ranked #1 Pepsi35.7 Coke Up14.3 Dr. Pepper7.1

 Used to demonstrate continuous change

Grade LevelJillFranGreg 7 th th th th th th

 Used to demonstrate change that is not continuous.

Type of EngineerSalary Mechanical$63,000 Electrical$63,000 Software$75,000 Civil$58,000 General$74,000 Electronics$72,000 Systems$77,000 Manufacturing$54,000 Network$67,000 Environmental$59,000

 The answer to the original question based on the data obtained through the tests.  Sometimes more tests are needed

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